-
who
sets
the
people
at
liberty
-
(
enlarger
of
the
people ),
son
of
Solomon
by
the
Ammonite
princess
Naamah, (
1
Kings
14:21
1
Kings
14:31 )
and
his
successor. ( 1 Kings
11:43 )
Rehoboam
selected
Shechem
as
the
place
of
his
coronation (
B.C.
975),
probably
as
an
act
of
concession
to
the
Ephraimites.
The
people
demanded
a
remission
of
the
severe
burdens
imposed
by
Solomon,
and
Rehoboam,
rejecting
the
advice
of
his
fathers
counsellors,
followed
that
of
his
young
courtiers,
and
returned
an
insulting
answer,
which
led
to
an
open
rebellion
among
the
tribes,
and
he
was
compelled
to
fly
to
Jerusalem,
Judah
and
Benjamin
alone
remaining
true
to
him.
Jeroboam
was
made
king
of
the
northern
tribes. [
JEROBOAM]
An
expedition
to
reconquer
Israel
was
forbidden
by
the
prophet
Shemaiah, ( 1 Kings
12:21 )
still
during
Rehoboams
lifetime
peaceful
relations
between
Israel
and
Judah
were
never
restored. ( 2 Chronicles
12:15 ; 1 Kings
14:30 )
In
the
fifth
year
of
Rehoboams
reign
the
country
was
invaded
by
a
host
of
Egyptians
and
other
African
nations
under
Shishak.
Jerusalem
itself
was
taken
and
Rehoboam
had
to
purchase
an
ignominious
peace
by
delivering
up
the
treasures
with
which
Solomon
had
adorned
the
temple
and
palace.
The
rest
of
Rehoboams
life
was
unmarked
by
any
events
of
importance.
He
died
B.C.
958,
after
a
reign
of
17
years,
having
ascended
the
throne
B.C.
975,
at
the
age
of
41. ( 1 Kings
14:21 ; 2 Chronicles
12:13 )
He
had
18
wives,
60
concubines,
28
sons
and
60
daughters.
-
he
enlarges
the
people,
the
successor
of
Solomon
on
the
throne,
and
apparently
his
only
son.
He
was
the
son
of
Naamah "
the
Ammonitess,"
some
well-known
Ammonitish
princess ( 1 Kings
14:21 ;
2
Chr
12:13 ).
He
was
forty-one
years
old
when
he
ascended
the
throne,
and
he
reigned
seventeen
years (
B.C.
975-958).
Although
he
was
acknowledged
at
once
as
the
rightful
heir
to
the
throne,
yet
there
was
a
strongly-felt
desire
to
modify
the
character
of
the
government.
The
burden
of
taxation
to
which
they
had
been
subjected
during
Solomon's
reign
was
very
oppressive,
and
therefore
the
people
assembled
at
Shechem
and
demanded
from
the
king
an
alleviation
of
their
burdens.
He
went
to
meet
them
at
Shechem,
and
heard
their
demands
for
relief ( 1 Kings
12:4 ).
After
three
days,
having
consulted
with
a
younger
generation
of
courtiers
that
had
grown
up
around
him,
instead
of
following
the
advice
of
elders,
he
answered
the
people
haughtily (
6-15). "
The
king
hearkened
not
unto
the
people;
for
the
cause
was
from
the
Lord" (
comp
11:31 ).
This
brought
matters
speedily
to
a
crisis.
The
terrible
cry
was
heard (
Compare 2 Samuel
20:1 ): "
What
portion
have
we
in
David?
Neither
have
we
inheritance
in
the
son
of
Jesse:
To
your
tents,
O
Israel:
Now
see
to
thine
own
house,
David" ( 1 Kings
12:16 ).
And
now
at
once
the
kingdom
was
rent
in
twain.
Rehoboam
was
appalled,
and
tried
concessions,
but
it
was
too
late (
18).
The
tribe
of
Judah,
Rehoboam's
own
tribe,
alone
remained
faithful
to
him.
Benjamin
was
reckoned
along
with
Judah,
and
these
two
tribes
formed
the
southern
kingdom,
with
Jerusalem
as
its
capital;
while
the
northern
ten
tribes
formed
themselves
into
a
separate
kingdom,
choosing
Jeroboam
as
their
king.
Rehoboam
tried
to
win
back
the
revolted
ten
tribes
by
making
war
against
them,
but
he
was
prevented
by
the
prophet
Shemaiah (
21-24; 2 Chronicles
11:1-4 )
from
fulfilling
his
purpose. (
See
JEROBOAM .)
In
the
fifth
year
of
Rehoboam's
reign,
Shishak (
q.v.),
one
of
the
kings
of
Egypt
of
the
Assyrian
dynasty,
stirred
up,
no
doubt,
by
Jeroboam
his
son-in-law,
made
war
against
him.
Jerusalem
submitted
to
the
invader,
who
plundered
the
temple
and
virtually
reduced
the
kingdom
to
the
position
of
a
vassal
of
Egypt (
1
Kings
14:25
1
Kings
14:26 ;
2
Chr
12:5-9 ).
A
remarkable
memorial
of
this
invasion
has
been
discovered
at
Karnac,
in
Upper
Egypt,
in
certain
sculptures
on
the
walls
of
a
small
temple
there.
These
sculptures
represent
the
king,
Shishak,
holding
in
his
hand
a
train
of
prisoners
and
other
figures,
with
the
names
of
the
captured
towns
of
Judah,
the
towns
which
Rehoboam
had
fortified ( 2 Chronicles
11:5-12 ).
The
kingdom
of
Judah,
under
Rehoboam,
sank
more
and
more
in
moral
and
spiritual
decay. "
There
was
war
between
Rehoboam
and
Jeroboam
all
their
days."
At
length,
in
the
fifty-eighth
year
of
his
age,
Rehoboam "
slept
with
his
fathers,
and
was
buried
with
his
fathers
in
the
city
of
David" ( 1 Kings
14:31 ).
He
was
succeeded
by
his
son
Abijah. (
See
EGYPT .)
X
